Cascade Pass Backpack: Beyond Our Expectations
When we planned our 2-day family backpack to Cascade Pass, I pictured the classic North Cascades adventure: high camp at Sahale Arm below the glacier we climbed over two decades…
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Pivot Toward Wonder: How to Embrace What Unfolds
Sometimes life hands us the exact experience we imagined; other times it surprises us with something entirely different. In the past week, I’ve been reminded that while disappointment often arrives…
Adjusting Expectations on the Trail and in Life
Hiking teaches me lessons I didn’t ask for but often need. Chief among them: expectations rarely match reality. Sometimes they’re delightfully surpassed. I map out distances, estimate pace, and anticipate…
How Guiding Intentions Can Transform Your Adventures
When most people prepare for a multi-day adventure—whether it’s a trek to Everest Base Camp, Bhutan’s Snowman Trek, or the Tour du Mont Blanc—their focus tends to be on the…
Trail-tested Confidence: Lessons for Work and Life
The hour before a new client session, I get the same knot in my stomach that I sometimes get as I pull into the parking lot of a tough trailhead.…
What Is Enough: Three Lessons from the Trail
I have led more Mountaineers hikes than I ever imagined possible—23 of the 43 hikes hikes I've done so far in 2025. And we're only in July. Yet I find…
How to Stay Hydrated for Summer Hikes
This season, I’ve been reminded how crucial it is to stay hydrated during hot-weather hikes. One CHS student (Conditioning for Hiking Series) recently visited the ER after a long, exposed…
Four Years Along the Trail of Change
Milestone Post / A Reflection Essay Blog post 180 is longer than usual. It's a 3,000-word look at how four years of blogging, hiking, and leading have shaped the way…
Vulnerable Moments: Things You Don’t Post Photos Of
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity including leading four hikes. Training up to eight clients in a day. Sitting for a neighbor's dog for two days.…
Bridge the Confidence Gap: From Desk Doubts to Trail Trust
For several weeks I've been reflecting on how widely different I feel on the trail and at work. Why can I feel so totally in control in one area but…